Reuters – The experimental COVID-19 medication developed by AstraZeneca has been shown to reduce the risk of severe illness or death in a late-stage trial.
British pharma boosted its attempts to create coronavirus treatments other than vaccinations to combat the virus.
AstraZeneca Antibody Was Shown To Effective In COVID-19
It was discovered that the medication, an antibody cocktail known as AZD7442 composed of two antibodies, decreased the chance of severe COVID-19 or mortality by 50% in non-hospitalized patients who had symptoms for seven days or fewer, achieving the primary purpose of the trial.
Following numerous clinical studies, AstraZeneca’s medication, administered by injection, is the first of its type to show promise both as a preventive drug and as a treatment for COVID-19. Its purpose is to prevent individuals who do not have a strong enough immune response to vaccinations from becoming ill or dying.
In a statement, Hugh Montgomery, the trial’s lead investigator, stated that these encouraging findings demonstrate that a handy intramuscular dosage of AZD7442 may play an essential role in helping to fight this terrible epidemic.
Similar treatments, based on a class of medications known as monoclonal antibodies, are being developed by Regeneron, Eli Lilly, and GlaxoSmithKline in collaboration with the Vir Corporation. These treatments have been authorized for use in the United States to treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19 infections in an emergency setting.
AstraZeneca, whose COVID-19 vaccine has been extensively used worldwide, requested emergency use authorization for AZD7442 as a preventive treatment from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week.
A spokesperson for AstraZeneca confirmed that the company is submitting data from different AZD7442 trials to global health authorities. She also stated that they would continue with talks with authorities in light of this new evidence.
More than 900 adult volunteers took part in the study, which was conducted in 13 countries and in which half were given AZD7442, and the other half received a placebo. According to AstraZeneca, the complete study findings will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
AZD7442 includes antibodies created in a laboratory and are intended to stay in the body for months to confine the virus in the event of an infection. On the other hand, vaccination depends on a Healthy Immune System to produce specific antibodies and infection-fighting cells to be effective.
According to Mene Pangalos, executive vice president of AstraZeneca, early intervention with the antibody may substantially decrease the development of severe illness, with sustained protection for more than six months.
While Monday’s findings pertain to the use of AZD7442 in non-hospitalized patients, a second trial is investigating the drug’s efficacy as a treatment for COVID-19 patients who are admitted to a hospital. COVID-19 has been treated with several antibody cocktail treatments with varying degrees of effectiveness.
In the first week, Regeneron’s treatment provided 72 percent protection against symptomatic infection, and the next week, the security increased to 93 percent. Compared to a placebo, GSK-Vir showed a 79 percent reduction in the risk of hospitalization or death owing to any cause. In comparison, Lilly’s treatment demonstrated a 70 percent reduction in viral load at day seven compared to a placebo.